(ז) וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ.
(7) and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
What exactly does "Vishinanantam" mean? Why doesn't the Torah say "velimaditem" here, it would have made more sense?
(ז) תנו רבנן: "ושננתם" שיהו דברי תורה מחודדים בפיך. שאם ישאל לך אדם דבר אל תגמגם ותאמר לו, אלא אמור לו מיד. שנאמר:
It says in a Brita: "and teach them throughly" that it should be the words of Torah sharp in your mouth. That if [a questioner] a person should ask you [about] a thing [word of Torah], you should not stutter and tell him, rather you should say it to him immediately. For it says:
The Gemara explains that our knowledge of Torah should be sharp. How does one maintain a sharp knowledge of Torah? By establishing a permanent (kevua) goal and time to study Torah.
(א) משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינָי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרֽוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶֽסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה .הם אמרו שלשה דברים, הוו מתונים בדין, והעמידו תלמידים הרבה, ועשו סיג לתורה.
(1) Moshe received the Torah from Sinai. He transmitted it to Yehoshua, Yehoshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said these three things: Deliberate before delivering a verdict , and establish many students, and make a fence for the Torah.
1. What is the importance of this long list of tradition? 2. Why is it important to have many students? Doesn't quality beat quantity? 3. Why do you need to create a fence around the Torah? 4. Is there any correlation between the ideas presented at the end of the Mishnah with the start of the Mishnah?
(ב) שמעון הצדיק היה משירי כנסת הגדולה.הוא היה אומר, על שלשה דברים העולם עומד, על התורה ועל העבודה ועל גמילות חסדים.
(2) Shimon the Tzadik was of the last of the Great Assembly. He has said, On three things the world stands– On the Torah, and on the Avodah, and on Deeds of Lovingkindess.
1. Do you think the world stands on these 3 principles? 2. Which principle do you think is most important? Why? 3. How are these three ideas - Torah study, acts of religious devotion, and acts of loving kindness - both similar and different?
(ג) אנטיגנוס איש סוכו קבל משמעון הצדיק.הוא היה אומר, אל תהיו כעבדים המשמשין את הרב על מנת לקבל פרס, אלא הוו כעבדים המשמשין את הרב שלא על מנת לקבל פרס, ויהי מורא שמים עליכם.
(3) Antignos of Sokho received from Shimon the Tzadik. He would say, Don't be as slaves serving the master, in order to receive a reward, Rather be as servants serving the master unconditionally, not in order to receive a reward; And may the fear of the Heavens be upon you.
1. What ethic is derived from acting out of love, as opposed to acting based off the incentive of reward? 2. Do you think that we should serve G-d out of love? 3. Why is fear of G-d important for a relationship with him? Why is "fear" important for any relationship with a higher authority? 4. Do you ever find yourself doing something for the sake of the reward alone? (Hint: college resume)
(ד) יוסי בן יועזר איש צרדה ויוסי בן יוחנן איש ירושלים קבלו מהם .יוסי בן יועזר איש צרדה אומר, יהי ביתך בית ועד לחכמים, והוי מתאבק בעפר רגליהם, והוי שותה בצמא את דבריהם.
(4) Yosei ben Yoezer of Tzreida and Yosef ben Yochanan of Yerushalayim received from him. Yosei ben Yoezer of Tzreida says, Make your house a meeting house for the sages; and get sooty in the dust of their feet, and drink with thirst their words.
1. Why should your house be a meeting place for sages? 2. Why should we "sit in the dust of their feet"? 3. Why is it important for us to drink the thirst of their words? (Think about insider trading, in regard to listening to a business expert) 4. Who is considered to be a wise person? 5. Do you ever find it difficult to listen to the words/criticisms of others?
(ה) יוסי בן יוחנן איש ירושלים אומר, יהי ביתך פתוח לרוחה, ויהיו עניים בני ביתך, ואל תרבה שיחה עם האשה.באשתו אמרו, קל וחמר באשת חברו.מכאן אמרו חכמים, כל זמן שאדם מרבה שיחה עם האשה, גורם רעה לעצמו, ובוטל מדברי תורה, וסופו יורש גיהנם.
(5) Yosei ben Yochanan of Yerushalayim says, Make your house open wide, and make the poor as children of your house. And do not increase conversation with the woman. With his wife, they said, all the more so with the wife of his friend; From here the sages said, All the time a man increases conversation with the woman-- He causes badness to himself, and neglects the words of Torah, And in his end he inherits Gehenna.
1. What does it mean to make poor people a part of your household? 2. Why should my home be open to everyone? What can we learn from keeping our doors open? (community) 3. Why should I limit myself from talking to the opposite gender? What bad can come of it?
(ו) יהושע בן פרחיה ונתאי הארבלי קבלו מהם.יהושע בן פרחיה אומר, עשה לך רב, וקנה לך חבר , והוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות.
(6) Yehoshua ben Perachiah and Nittai of Arbel received the transmission from them. Yehoshua ben Perachia said, Make for yourself a rabbi, acquire for yourself a friend; and judge every person in their favor.
1. What does it mean to "acquire" a friend? 2. How might acquiring for yourself a mentor cause you to acquire yourself a friend? 3. What is the importance of allowing everyone to be "innocent until proven guilty"?
Rabbeinu Yona (1200-1263) on Pirkei Avot 1:6
A good friend is a very precious commodity; thus, one must tolerate his faults with patience... A person who tolerates his friend's faults and forgives him for the wrongdoings he has perpetrated against him safeguards their relationship, thereby ensuring that it will endure for many years. (Source Rabbi Dov Pianko)
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) on Pirkei Avot 1:6
To have a real friend... requires sacrifices. (Source Rabbi Dov Pianko)
Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld on Pirkei Avot 1:6
A friend is an equal; he speaks your language. He may even share your background and history. He knows where you're coming from because he's been there himself. And he might just help you figure out how you can apply truth to your life, and how it can all become meaningful and relevant to you... We don't just "make" friends for ourselves; we must invest in and "acquire" them. Friendships are two-way affairs... Developing friendships, however, requires a much greater investment of time and effort. We "purchase" friendships by our willingness to share our feelings, stay up late discussing our problems, and be available to help him get through his difficult times. The investment may be great, and we may not "learn" as much as we do from our teachers. But relationships are yet another necessary ingredient towards developing ourselves as human beings and fulfilling our missions on this earth. ( Source Rabbi Dov Pianko)